


Visions of fire

by AthenaTheGreekGodess



Category: Phan, Phandom, dan and phil, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Mystery, Slow Burn, Talks of oppression, power au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-09 21:10:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19894408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaTheGreekGodess/pseuds/AthenaTheGreekGodess
Summary: Phil always knew he was different from the others, but he never knew why until one Tuesday in March of 2016.He’d heard of the ‘School of Powers’ before, as have all children once they were old enough to understand how economics worked. He knew that it was composed of people with Rare abilities, who were trained there and used to help protect the people of the world. But he never thought in a million years he’d be joining their ranks.See, the school of Powers was exceptionally rare. It only housed the most powerful and dangerous kids and young adults. The percentage of kids in the world with one of these unique powers was about 0.1%. So when Phil Lester himself was brought in for testing and tested positive, he was in complete shock as was the rest of his family. He had never once shown any signs of having a power, despite being nearly 18. But apparently sometimes kids didn’t even find out until they were 30, which was just terrific.To make a long story short, Phil was forced to pack up all his things and leave his family, his dreams, and his hobbies in favor of joining the School of Powers. He couldn’t be more terrified.





	1. A different world

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, before you begin reading I just want to say a couple things! 
> 
> Firstly, hi I’m Athena and this will be my first lengthy fan fiction. I’m not exactly sure how big the word count on each chapter will be but I’m aiming for over 5,000 words per chapter. First chapter will be around 10,000 because I’ don’t have a stuck schedule yet so I didn’t want to leave y’all hanging with such a short chapter at the start. That being said, I think I’ll try to post every week or so, but if I go on hiatus don’t worry I’ll let y’all know! 
> 
> Now onto some important things. At the time Dan and Phil have both just come out and a relationship between them isn’t confirmed 100%, so I just want to say that by me writing this I am in no way saying these two are like this in real life nor am I trying to say anything about their personalities. This is just fiction, so obviously they would act a bit different here than they would in real life. Anyways though, that’s all I really wanted to say, I hope you guys have a nice day and just know im trying to stick as closely to their spoken sexualities as possible, but if I get something wrong feel free to correct me :)

Phil is breathing heavily as he stares out the window, watching the large silver gates open upon their arrival. He is immediately taken aback by the sheer size of the school. It’s massive, made completely out of Marble and brick and has a massive Dragon head statue sitting on the roof, it’s body and legs wrapping around and melding into the large post that hold it up. And intimidating as it was, that was only the Main building. The actual dorms and separate classes are littered around the school grounds, built in the same style as the main building but with a lot more brick and stone and less marble.

He feels the pavement underneath them turn to pebble as the car shakes and rattles up the main path toward the front parking lot. He gathers himself best he can, nervously combing his fingers through his quiff and straightening the collar of his shirt. When he looks back out the window they are stopped by the main entrance to the School, the large looming staircase ahead. 

He quickly sucks in a breath and pulls on the handle, hearing a click as it swings open. He felt far too out of place as he took a careful step out of the Limo, two butler looking guys fetching his suitcases and bags out of the back of the trunk. He winced as they struggled to hold all his things, stepping forward to ask them if they wanted a hand, but was interrupted by a posh sounding voice. 

“Ah, And you must be Phillip Micheal Lester, our newest student.” Phil cringed at the use of his full name, but turned to the suited man and offered a hesitant smile. A hand extended toward him and he quickly went to shake it, hoping his palms weren’t sweaty. “Yep, that’s me!” He tried to sound polite and stand straight, feeling far too much like he was in the face of royalty. (Which he might as well be.) 

“Well, if you follow me, I'll take you to our School Principal, Ms. Snake.” He sounded breezy, coy, as if he’d done this many times before. Oddly, it was slightly calming. This guy felt more like a bro then a scary men in Black character Phil had been Imagining. A fancy bro, but one nonetheless. “You’ve heard of her, right?” He turned his icy blue eyes to Phil, brow raised. Luckily, Phil had indeed studied up quite a bit on the information he could find on this place. “Of course! She’s the 10’Th. Principle to man the school so far, right?” Dean Snake. Had a nice ring to it. Kind of sounded like the villain in a James Bond movie, but it was pretty fitting for this scenario. 

The man with blond hair tucked under a rather dramatic Top hat looked over to him, smirking with a prideful glint in his eye. “My my, you’ve sure studied up, haven’t you? I can’t tell you how many students we’ve gotten who haven’t even heard of the school before.” He breathed out a short sigh, seeming to cringe at the old memories. Phil would have responded but then they were at the large doors, and he suddenly remembered why he was nervous in the first place. 

He immediately tucked his thumb into his front pocket. His heart began to beat fast, and much like a movie the strange suit man reached forward and wrapped his hand around a large silver knocker, banging it against the door twice then waiting. To Phil’s surprise, the doors opened almost immediately, and forgetting where he was he startled at the fact there was no one holding the handles. The man beside him chuckled, and began to walk inside. Phil quickly followed, trying his best to straighten himself up and look less like an awkward dork. 

“I will warn you Phillip, this place is a bit offsetting to most newcomers. But I assure you, once you get settled in it’ll start feeling a lot more comfortable. Old Dean is a bit of a hard a-“ He stopped himself, clearing his throat. “Hard to warm up to,” he corrected, causing Phil to hold in a laugh. “But, she’s the type of Principle this school needs if it’s going to stay orderly. So, take what she says with a grain of salt.” Phil nodded, feeling a lot more at ease then when he’d first got here. “Will do. What’s your name, by the way?” He asked politely, hoping it wasn’t over the line or something. The guy stopped at a large door at the end of he hall, dramatically turning to Phil. He grabbed the rim of his top hat, gave a great bow, and said “Leonardo D. Avalon at your service.” And suddenly, it all clicked for Phil and he couldn’t help the gasp that escaped past his lips. “Your- Your the Leonardo Avalon?! The immortal? The famous 1970’s Rock singer?” He was sure he was gaping at this man, but couldn’t help it! Leonardo Avalon was the first Immortal to ever live, and no one even realized it until he reached the age of 70 without seeming to age a bit since hitting 23. He had retired once people figured out the secret, and had gone to live here. Phil had assumed he’d graduated by now though, and never even imagined he still attended here- Well if you could even call this attended. This is more like he’s taken up a higher role within the school. Apparently as a part time student greeter. Now it all made sense, the hospitality, the cool and collected nature that didn’t seem entirely professional, and the looks which Phil had sworn he’d seen somewhere before. 

Leo, (as he’d been called during his rock years), was just grinning at him and chuckling, probably expecting this reaction. “The one and only,” he gave a small tip of his hat, straightening himself slightly. Phil was about to probably say something else embarrassing, but was cut off when the doors to his side opened suddenly. He stepped back in surprise as two guys walked out of the door, each sporting rather interesting attire. One had brightly dyed green hair, and the other had neon red. They both were wearing suits, though still seemed semi casual. The easiest thing to recognize though was that the green haired one had a bright glowing green eye, and the red haired one had a large metal clamp around his wrist. They both gave him a look as they passed, as if they were sizing him up with their eyes. He shivered under their gaze, but it passed quickly as they continued down the long hallway. 

Before he had time to ask, he heard another voice to his side, past the now opened marble doors. “Your meeting with the New student is next, Mam.” He heard a grunt of affirmation before another man in a suit, looking much more uptight than Leonardo had standing at the entrance. He just stared, apparently waiting for Phil to move. 

Phil seized himself, stealing one last glance at Leo who just gave him a reassuring thumbs up, before he turned and entered into the room.

Oh god, he was not ready. 

Laid out before him was a half circle of dark wooden desk that wrapped around the room, and in the middle was a massive podium, that stretched into the air almost animatedly. A tall woman wearing a black cloak sat at the top, her wrinkly and pointed hands sitting in front of her, her elbows resting on the desk. Red eyes glinted from within the black hood she wore, and suddenly Phil was once again immediately regretting his life decisions. “Um- H-hi. I’m the new student, Phil Lester.” He said lamely, feeling himself sweating already. He knew she most definitely knew who he was, but he didn’t know what else to say to fill the silence. 

The woman leaned forward, eyes narrowed deductively. “Yes, the one without a power. Honestly, I’m starting to believe our technology is becoming out of date nowadays.” Her voice was high and scratchy, sounding much like a witch. He felt frozen under her gaze, and the room was deathly silent aside from the occasional creaking of whatever chair she was sitting on. “Before you can enter, I’ll need to ask you a few questions. And don’t think about lying, I’m a truth seeker. I’ll know if you evade me.” A chill went up Phil’s spine, and he nodded, throat dry. For some reason he always hated the idea of having someone else in his head, able to read any dumb thoughts that pass through. Though it seems at least that this lady could only detect lies, and not read minds as a whole. But he knew he’d most likely meet mind readers later anyways. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Is all he said in response. 

She leaned back then, straightening glasses that had apparently been there the whole time as she looked down at whatever paper was laid out before her. She clicked her tongue, before what Phil would only describe as an interrogation began. 

“Full name, Age, former residence, gender, and close family.” Was her first question, which Phil was able to answer easily and with no hesitance. “Phillip Micheal Lester, 17, formerly lived in Manchester Uk, Male, and my parents are Kathryn Lester and Nigel Lester. Also I have a brother named Martyn.” He could feel his voice shaking slightly, but he tried to calm himself down and remind himself this would all be over soon. 

“Have you ever been arrested, or been suspended/expelled from your previous schools?” He also luckily didn’t have to think about that for a moment. “I’ve never been arrested or been expelled.” He confirmed, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Drug or alcohol addiction?” She asked, and for once Phil was grateful of his extremely strict parents. “No.” 

The lady kept going down a list of basic things like former job experience, education, and a plethora of other questions Phil felt would be on a simple job resume. It was pretty easy going, until it got around to the questions pertaining to the reason why he was here. “Now, onto Powers. What is your power, when did you discover it, why were you brought to this school, and how do you feel about enrolling here?” Her fingers intertwined together and she leaned forward, eyes still glowing narrowly. 

Phil let out a breath, knowing he would probably be silently scolded for his answers, but he still wouldn’t dare lie. “I do not know what my power is, I’ve never discovered it, but I was brought here because I tested positive on the blood exams. I feel,” he paused, trying to collect his jumbled thoughts. “Nervous. Hopeful, I guess. Also a bit like, this is pointless. Like they’ve made a mistake. I’ve never had any signs to having a power, but I hope I won’t disappoint everyone here. I’ll do my best, and I’ll do what’s asked of me if it’ll help me to find out my true power. I’m excited.” He looked up, letting out a breath of air, shoulders still tense.

The lady hummed, and nodded slowly. “Well, I suppose you’ve done better then most of the other students I’ve tested. You didn’t lie, though it was iffy on that last bit, but I’ll write that one off to unsureness.” She sorted some papers in her hands, then leaned back, opening a drawer and hooking out a single golden key. She threw it off-handedly toward him and he almost tripped over himself in surprise trying to catch it. He looked down at the symbols engraved in the key. B-18. He looked back up, but before he could ask any questions the doors were opening behind him and he was being ushered out by the guy in the suit. Once he was alone out in the hallway again, he just stared at the key, utterly lost. But luckily, good old Leonardo appeared to still be there, standing in the hall and admiring one of the many portraits lining the walls. Phil nervously made his way over to him, but relaxed when Leo just grinned back toothily. “Jeez boy, you look like you’ve seen a ghost you’re so pale. Let me guess, you need help finding your dorm?” He straightened, a cane suddenly at his side which he was leaning on. Phil just nodded sheepishly, and was immediately whisked along out of the main building and down another pathway, leading into the main schoolyard. 

He took this time to look around the massive schoolyard. Tall brick buildings rose around him, some smaller than others. One, he noticed, was nearly as large as the main building and topped with a glass dome. There were some stands laid about, and some other students passed on either side, occasionally sparing Phil a glance. He then remembered his belongings and almost stopped in the middle of the path. “My- my bags, I think I left them back at the car-“ He was cut off abruptly as a cane wrapped around his back and led him forward again. “Phillip, you must stop your worrying. Ben and Cornelius have taken care of your things and dropped them off at your dorm.” He said simply, taking long strides and tipping his hat to passerby’s. 

Phil blinked in confusion, wondering how they could have possibly known which room was his before even he did, but before he could ask there was a cane pressed to his mouth. “Don’t forget where you are Phillip. You're now in a place filled with Mind readers, Teleporters, and Telekinetic object transferors. You’re going to have to get used to any strange happenings.” He looked to Phil, smirking. Phil only blinked back, Leo’s words not exactly calming his nerves. 

Eventually they came to the part of the school grounds where the dorms were located. The path they were walking on ended in a large circle with a fountain in the center, and multiple smaller paths branching out in separate directions around the circle toward the dorm buildings. 

“Alright, the layout is simple. These are buildings A-E. You have key B-18, so your in building B. Rooms 1-10 are on the first floor, and 11-20 are on the second. Your bags should be waiting for you in your room upon arrival. Any questions?” He spun to face Phil, and Phil guessed this would be goodbye. “No, but thankyou for helping to show me around.” He was genuinely grateful to be showed such hospitality this early on in his arrival. He hoped this level of kindness wouldn’t cease once he was left alone again, but he had a feeling that not everyone would be as kind as Leo. 

Leo simply smiled back, eyes crinkled happily. “It was no problem Phillip, really. My pleasure. Not too often do I get to introduce students as kind as you. I hope you find your stay here enjoyable. I know we’ll meet again soon, but for now, ta ta.” He sang, giving a tip of his hat before he tapped his cane to the ground twice and was suddenly enveloped in a thick cloud of smoke. 

Phil coughed, stepping back in surprise and blinking when he saw nothing left of what used to be Leonardo. For a moment he was horrified, before remembering what he’d said about where they were. It was probably some fancy magic, but either way it was terrifying to witness. 

He quickly looked down to his key and gathered himself, then made long strides toward Building B. They seemed to all be very similar, and he guessed they were all almost perfect replicas of each other. When he walked through the door, he was met with sandy walls, pillars of marble, extravagant paintings, and a simple burgundy desk sat at the far end of the wall. He walked forward, taking note of the tiled floor and the red carpet beneath his feet. When he reached the desk, he realized there was no one behind it, but instead a very obvious bell. Hesitant, he reached forward and rung the bell once. Immediately, and to his shock, a woman appeared in the chair behind the desk. Her skin looked almost, translucent. His first reaction was to yelp and walk backward, but upon further inspection he realized this person wasn’t real. Perhaps, a hologram? Or, an illusion? 

He tried to ignore the creepiness of it all as the woman gave him a genuine looking smile, hands folded in front of her. “Welcome Phillip Lester, we’ve been expecting you.” 

As if this could get any creepier.

He laughed nervously, trying to keep himself under control. “Heh yah, uh, I was told this was building B, and my room is upstairs?” He showed her his key and she leaned forward, eyes squinted before leaning back and smiling brightly. “Ah yes, just go through that door and it will lead you up to the second floor.” She smiled, and looked toward the wall to the far left. Phil followed her gaze, staring at what he saw to be a normal wall. The wall suddenly started to change, and soon it was sliding up along the wall, creating a doorway that seemed to lead into another small space that reminded him of the inside of a lift. He blinked, but when he looked back to the woman, she was gone. 

Sensing the wall wouldn’t stay up forever, he quickly ran to what he felt was a secret passageway from some sort of detective movie. When he stepped inside, the wall immediately closed, and the lights flickered on below and above him. With a click, he suddenly felt a pressure pushing him downward, and he realized he must be going to the second floor. 

He began to grow nervous again. There was nothing in the lift with him, and he couldn’t even tell where the door was anymore. It was just white with apparent built in lights that illuminated the small space. Oh god, what if this was like a murder facility and he’d be trapped in this box forever, or worse, taken to some sort of dungeon. 

But then, he felt the downward pull on him cease, and froze, watching as a part of the lift opened. Another wall, he presumed. He quickly stepped out into what he could recognize as a hall. 

The wall lowered behind him, and suddenly he was left alone in an empty hall, doors lining the left side and windows lining the right. He walked to the windows first, looking out of the building and to the schoolyard again. From here he could see the entire schoolyard, since the dorms were located at the very back. He let out a sigh, feeling a sense of homesickness setting in already. 

When he had been brought here, he only had a week with his family to say goodbye and prepare to leave. It was the most shocking, terrifying time of his life. Most kids had the luxury of taking their time, since most kids found their power on their own and took their time to send their letters to the S.O.P to be verified, meaning they could prepare in advance. Phil had basically been ripped away from his home and his family, and thrown into a completely new environment before he was ready. He’d spent most of that week crying, begging his parents to do something, and spending every waking second with them. But he knew it couldn’t last forever, and soon there was a limo pulling up to his house and driving him far far away. 

They would let him write letters, and sometimes even make scheduled calls, but it wouldn’t be the same. Not to mention they gave him a brand new phone and tablet, which you think would be a good thing but in reality it was absolute garbage. The new phone didn’t reach anywhere beyond the school grounds, so if he wanted to text or ring his family it wouldn’t go through. On top of that, they only had one real app, which was just a focus game of sorts to ‘test your powers and your mind’ which ended up being useless to Phil when the stupid thing couldn’t detect his power. The tablet was honestly a bit better, and came with a store that had a few select games on it. He hadn’t gotten to downloading any of them yet though, but he was sure he’d have them all downloaded by tomorrow knowing him. 

He realized he was just staring out the window, his hands clenching the window seal when a voice cleared their throat behind him. He whirled around in surprise, coming to face a guy that looked like probably the most normal looking person he’d seen here so far. He had brown hair that was curled slightly, and he was wearing a white t-shirt and sweatpants. He leaned against one of the closed doors in the hall, his green eyes scanning up and down Phil slowly, as if sizing him up.

“Your the new kid, aren’t you?” He asked, head tilted back a fraction and his hands coming to rest in his pockets. Phil blinked, forgetting how to speak for a moment before quickly nodding. “Uh, yes! I’m Phil, just got here today.” He introduced himself, debating whether he should offer a hand to shake but he felt like that might be a bit too formal at the moment. The guy only continued to stare for a moment, and Phil felt weirdly like he was being examined as some test. 

“Well, I should um, get to my room.” He mumbled, quickly pushing off the wall and headed toward the line of doors. There was an eerie silence behind him the entire walk down to room 18 and he still felt those green eyes boring into the back of his head as he pushed his key into the lock and turned. As soon as the door swung open he basically threw himself inside, closing the door quickly behind him and locking it for good measure. 

He took a moment to breath, back pressed against the door, and took in the sight before him. To the right, a double bed with freshly made sheets and a brown headboard. A night stand stood to the side of the bed, and on the left side of the room was a desk and a single leather chair. A dresser was at the foot of the bed, and the entire room was carpeted. The walls and ceiling were painted white, and a window sat just above a small bin to the left of the night stand. 

All in all, it wasn’t the worst room he’d seen. Small, yes, but he was only one person and he didn’t need much space. 

He took quick notice of his luggage that was laid out neatly on top of the bed, and made his way over to it cautiously. This entire place was still a weird concept to Phil, so he couldn’t help being suspicious about every little thing. 

After about an hour or two of unpacking, he could see golden light streaming in through his window. Perhaps he should take a walk around the school grounds for a bit, before it got too dark out. But before Phil could even try to think more on that idea, he was flopping down on his bed and pulling out the stupid phone he’d been given at the start of his amission. After downloading a couple random puzzle games, he spent the next hour boredly staring at the illuminated screen, slowly realizing how unprepared he was for this place when he failed at almost every single power test he took. Not too long after, the room was dark and he was still on his bed, his eyelids heavy and a sinking loneliness settling in his stomach.

Without many more options, he turned the phone off and rolled onto his side, not even bothering to change or get under the sheets before he was sinking into a deep sleep. 

***

_Hot. That’s all he felt._

_Something was pushing against him, and it was sending him backward. Fiery air was surrounding him, spiraling, creating tornadoes of destruction and chaos. He heard distant screams, drowned out by the fierce howling of the wind._

_Orange. Red. Blazing around him. Like beacons of death and fear._

_In the midst of it all, he felt a hand grasp his._

_Then everything faded and spiraled into black._

***

He gasped awake, shooting upward and grasping for his phone. Eyes wide, shaking, he looked around. Realization set in slowly, but it didn’t calm his nerves. He tossed his feet over the edge of the bed, cradling his head in his hands as he rocked back and forth, breathing slowly to try and calm himself. It had been a while since he had Nightmares like that, and this was definitely the worst of them all. It felt so real. The heat, the fire, the fear. It all was too much.

He startled as a knock sounded at his door. His heart had yet to calm it’s rappid stutter, so he just spent a moment staring at the door to his room, as if the person on the other side would understand and leave. But not a moment later and there was another knock, this time accompanied by a voice. “I’m here for a Philip Lester? Hello?” The voice was unfamiliar, which just had Phil even more tense. 

“C-coming.” He eventually rasped out, aware he probably looked like a rat. At least he was still fully clothed, even if they were the same ones he’d worn yesterday. 

When he pulled open the door, he was met with a Startling face. A pure white crow mask with two black eye holes stared back at him. Phil nearly yelped in surprise, but managed to keep an only mildly shocked expression as the man smiled, only the curve of his lips visible beneath the Mask. 

“Ah, Good morning Philip! I’ll be your tour guide on this fine day, my name is Christopher Shallaman.” He announced formally, extending a gloved hand in Phil’s direction. Phil hesitantly reached out to shake, his lips curving in what he hoped was a cheery smile to match the mystery man. 

“Ah- I didn’t think I’d be given a tour. I’m not really, er,” he took one look at himself, cringing at his disheveled clothing and rumpled hair. The man simply cut him off, shaking his head with that ever present smile. “Oh, no worries no worries my friend! Take as much time as you need, I’ll be waiting out in the main lobby for you.” And with that he spun around, merrily trotting off back toward the mysterious sliding wall lift, a cane at his side that Phil hadn’t noticed earlier. He began to wonder if all the staff had that similar black and white style about them. 

As quickly as he could, he rushed back into his room and fished for decent clothing. He landed eventually on a black T-shirt with the words “Try new things” written in white lettering in the center. He quickly slipped on a pair of white ripped trousers, completing the look with some nice black sneakers. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he felt that his “Monochrome” aesthetic seemed to be working well for him today, and quickly combed back his quiff. It was still a bit messy, but it wasn’t as terrible as it could be. 

Rushing out after grabbing his phone, he made his way down to the lobby, still marveling at the magic lift. Once he entered, his eyes immediately landed on the mystery man Christopher, leaning against the desk and talking (or more so flirting) with the holographic woman behind. Awkwardly approaching them, he watched as the hollow black eyes slowly tilted toward him, reminding him of a horror movie. But the man only smiled below the Mask, offering a brief farewell to the lady as she vanished, before taking his cane and leading Phil toward the front doors.

Once outside, the man truly began the tour, going over every little detail of every building or structure they passed. 

“As you know the dorms are located in the far back, although there is actually another building back in the tree line, but that’s just an old staff bathroom as I’ve heard. We aren’t allowed beyond the gates though, so I wouldn’t think of hopping any fences to explore anytime soon unless you want to risk expulsion.” The man drawled, the early light of morning glinting off his white pointed beak. Phil wondered if even the staff had to abide by that rule. He wouldn’t have thought so, but the way the man said “We aren’t allowed” causes him to think otherwise. 

As they continued down the path and toward the main schoolyard, Phil took the time to check his phone for the time. As soon as he flicked on the screen he realized why no one was out here yet. It was 8:12 on a Sunday, meaning most kids would be sleeping away right now. He saw a few scarce faces passing by, all seeming dragged down by tiredness. He felt for them. 

A cane suddenly thrust in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. He blinked, looking over to Christopher who just smiled too wide and clicked his cane twice against the pavement. It was then Phil realized they were standing on a round smooth part of the stone, creating a perfect circle around them. Glass or some other clear substance seemed to rise from the rim, coming to form a dome over their heads. Phil gasped, taking a step back, watching as the clear dome closed around them. His brain immediately screamed “Trap!” To him, but he knew that was unrealistic considering it was broad daylight and in the middle of the schoolyard. He jostled as gravity seemed to pull him downward, before the ground began to grow farther and farther away beneath him. In panic he gripped Christopher’s arm, who only laughed merrily. It seemed that section of the ground had come with them, now levitating above the earth, the clear dome overcoming them. 

“W-what- how- is this-“ he stammered, still staring with wide eyes as the bubble started moving forward, drifting above people's heads as they walked below. No one seemed to pay them any mind, and he didn’t know if that put him more or less at ease. 

“A levitation pod.” He quipped, swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Don’t fret so much Philip, put your mind at ease and enjoy the experience!” He placed a gloved hand on Phil’s shoulder, which helped to steady him a bit. “R-right. Sorry I’m just- I’m not used to all this power stuff. I’ve never seen anything like this. Up close, at least.” He rubbed his arm, staring around with wide eyes as the large brick buildings drifted past, seeming taller and grander than ever. 

“Right. Well, I’m sure you’ll be used to it soon enough. For now though, we have much to discuss. See that building over there? That’s the core building. Maths, Physics, Science, Literature, And other technical classes take place there.” He gestured with his cane as they passed a rather large brick building, a marble overhang and staircase making it look regal. The indent of what looked like a dragons eye was molded into the top of the building roof. 

“And over there,” he continued, shifting his canes point in the direct opposite direction, at a similar looking building. This one however had a large tower on the top, rimmed with a spiked dome roof that looked a bit funky. “Is the creative hall. Arts, Music, Theater, And Photography take place there. It has one of my favorite interior designs, you’ll know what I mean if any of your classes let you in there.” 

“Why do you wear a Mask?” Phil nearly slapped himself. Great, that wasn’t weird at all Phil, good going. 

The man froze for a second, his mouth twitching into a frown for once, which sent off alarm bells in Phil’s head immediately. He was about to take it back, but the man cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders and looking toward the ground. “There’s some people who are born with powers that are, controllable Phil. Some people have a grasp on their powers as early as the age of 12. But, some people, well.” He paused, letting out a sigh. He turned the black holes of his mask to Phil, which sent a chill down his spine. “Some people are born with powers that are uncontrollable. I was born with the power to force others to do my bidding with nothing but my eyes. People take one look and they become defenseless to my will. This is why I have to wear a mask. The council decided it was safest if it was unremovable. For others’ safety.” He smiled, though Phil detected a certain sadness that hadn’t been there before. 

His stomach twisted in knots. A silence settled over the pair, stretching on for a bit too long before Phil decided to break it. “That’s. I’m so sorry, that must be, awful.” He stated bluntly. He couldn’t imagine being born with such a terrible uncontrollable power like that. It would be so easy to hurt people. 

The man let out a soft sigh, shrugging. “It’s not too bad. I can wear this and I don’t have to worry about a thing anymore. But,” he stopped himself, his hands gripping tighter around the cane. “N-nevermind. You’ll find out about it soon enough I’m sure.” He faced the front of the bubble again, plastering on a forced smile. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have said as much as I did. Let’s continue with the tour.” His voice had taken on a monotone shean, and Phil wished he hadn't opened his loud mouth to begin with. 

They passed a few more buildings. Christopher briefed Phil on the various school clubs, courses he could take in the future, where the local Cafes and other useful establishments were. But it wasn’t with the same cheerfulness as it had been before. Tension still sat heavy in the air, and Phil tried to ignore it the best he could. 

“So Phil, tell me, what’s your power? Judging by the fact I don’t see any restraints on you I’m guessing it isn’t anything dangerous.” Phil tensed a bit, hands rubbing the insides of his pockets nervously. “Uhm, actually, I don't really have a power.” He quickly continued when Christopher sent him an alien look. “I mean- I don’t know what mine is yet, at least. I tested positive on the blood test though, so, they sent me off to here.” He explained, a bead of sweat forming on his head. 

The masked man gave him a look, but then shrugged and turned to face forward again. “Alrighty then. I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon, this place has a way in bringing out the best of ourselves. At least, for most of us, anyways.” His smile was almost back to normal now, which puts Phil into a much more relaxed state. 

As they continued they neared the more frontal buildings. He also recognized these were the larger, more grand buildings on campus. “Now, onto the fun stuff eh? This is the piece de resistance of SOP. The power square.” Phil looked down, able to see a Semicircle of carefully crafted buildings. These were made of tall cement and brick walls, with large flags adorning the fronts. Paths led out from each building, meeting in the middle of the square to a large Dragon-like statue. The rest of the area was shrouded with colorful trees, beautiful plants, and luscious gardens. It sent a rush of excitement through Phil. 

“This is where you’ll learn to control and master your Powers, or in your case, discover them!” Christopher clapped his hands together, seemingly excited by his own words. Phil recognized a certain building he’d seen earlier among the circle. It was the same large Cement and brick building with the glass dome and dragon statue on the roof. He noticed oddly that it had a certain, dimness to it. Many students stuck to the far side of the path when passing by, a handful of them turning last minute to travel down another path. Phil wondered briefly why that was, until Christopher began explaining each building. 

“That first one there is for the more technical side of powers. It has a bunch of different classes for people with different skill sets and it’s own sub classes and groups for each power set. And that one is where you’ll learn all the history you need to know about the school. That one is sort of a practice area, where you’ll be given time in class to train and test out your powers within a safe gym room. And that one-“ He paused, his smile twitching into a frown for a moment. 

Phil looked to the building he had stopped at. It was the same one with the glass dome he’d been admiring for a while. “That one is- well that’s the Destructive class. You probably won’t need to worry about that one.” He brushed off the topic a bit too quickly for Phil’s liking, which only furthered his curiosity toward the building. “Anyways, that’s really all I have to show you for now, aside from two more small things.” The bubble quickly jerked as they sped off just a bit farther, toward the Main hall of the campus where Phil had first arrived. 

They stopped in front of another smaller building, this one also having a glass dome but it was much more bright and happy looking then the Previous one. “This is the campus Library. This is also where you’ll be getting your Schedule. I assume you’ve already worked out the courses you’re taking?” Those black eyes turned back to Phil, but instead of the familiar dread he felt oddly comforted by the blank stare after hearing the man's reasoning behind the mask. 

Phil nods, offering a bright smile. “Yep! I’ve been told I’ll be starting tomorrow. I’m a bit nervous, not going to lie.” He went to scratch the back of his neck with his hand, swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet a bit. Christopher only smiled back, genuine below the curve of his mask. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. This place is a bit daunting at the start, but you’ll fit right in once you get settled. And don’t worry about the whole power thing, most kids will find you intriguing if anything.” His words were reassuring, but it still put Phil a bit on edge. He was hoping the whole ‘not finding my power yet’ thing would be more common, but so far the people here he’s told have been shocked and curious so he’s guessing it was in fact pretty rare. 

“Alright, thanks Christopher.” The man waved a hand in a quick dismissive motion. “Pshh, call me Chris, Phil.” He extended a hand once more, but this time when Phil went to shake it he was far more at ease. 

“Chris.” He restated, feeling a pleasant wave of belonging settling in. He wondered if all the staff were as nice and welcoming as Chris and Leo had been. Maybe he’d just gotten lucky. 

***

“Alright, have a great day Philip!” The librarian luckily happened to be a real person this time around, so it was a lot less awkward talking to her. “Thanks Marie!” He gave a small wave as he picked up the two white sheets and spun on his heels to make his way back to the entrance. 

Once outside he let out a long breath, taking a moment to feel the breeze ruffle his raven hair. Quite a few people were walking the grounds by now, seeming a bit more lively then before when he’d seen them about. He took a moment to check the time on his phone. 10:46. He realized how hungry he was when his stomach let out a loud rumble. 

He noticed a large board outside the front of the library, with a convenient Map drawled out on it. He snapped a quick picture on his phone before figuring out where a decent cafe was he could stop at for some well needed coffee. 

A Starbucks. The heavens have spoken. 

He quickly made his way down the soft dirt paths, enjoying the normalcy he felt for once. The faces he passed seemed normal, like everyday kids he’d meet at school. A lot of older faces passed as well, reminding Phil that not only kids attended this prestigious school. People who Phil guessed might even be in their 30’s passed Phil, which he did admit felt a bit odd. But, nothing he couldn’t find on the streets of London. 

The class buildings quickly turned to small shops and diners as he continued along, almost causing him to feel like he was back in his family town in Manchester again. Eventually the all too familiar green sign rose up in the distance, causing him to speed up his walk a bit more. He could already imagine the taste of the sugary sweetness hitting his tongue. 

He nearly burst in through the glass doors, his veins already thrumming with the absolute _need_ to have them flowing with caffeine. A few faces turned toward him in surprise, causing him to shrink in on himself. He probably shouldn’t have made such a dramatic entrance, but he couldn’t help it! He was dying for some good old fashioned caffeine. 

Quickly making his way to the front counter in hope of drawing attention off himself again, he was a bit surprised to find no line. A few scattered faces were littered around the booths and tables, but it wasn’t as packed as he’d assume a Starbucks would be at 10:00 am. Though, this was a school where you go to learn about magical abilities so he really shouldn’t be surprised that some people had more important matters then morning coffee. 

“Good morning, what can I get for ya today?” The overly cheery voice rang from behind the counter, belonging to a tan skinned boy with swept back blonde hair. Phil smiled back, hoping he didn’t look as desperately tired as he felt. “One Caramel Mocha, blended, medium please.” He passed over some of the money his parents had lent him before coming here, telling him he’d have to find himself a job while here to sustain himself. 

The boy stared at him in confusion for a moment, his brows knitted together before realization seemed to dawn on him. “Oh! You- you’re new, aren’t you?” Blue eyes drifted back up to Phil, who only blinked in response. “Uh, yah, sorry, am I missing something?” He asked hesitantly, feeling embarrassed already. 

The boy only smiled warmly and nodded, looking a bit sympathetic. “A bit yah. See, nothing on campus cost actual money. Students here get power coins in their school account every week or so depending on how much of your classes you’ve attended and extra curricular activities you’re taking here.” Phil’s eyes drifted to behind the boy, where machines seemed to be working on their own, and a lady with short blonde curls moved behind the counter, cups and coffee levitating around her. He blinked, and the boy followed his gaze, only chuckling in response. “Man, you really are new if you’re surprised by simple levitation. Don’t worry about the coin by the way, your new so I’ll let you off the hook for today. But don’t think about trying the ‘new’ card again, I've never forgotten a face.” He pointed a finger at Phil, who could only nod sheepishly in response. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m Phil, by the way. Thanks for the coffee, heaven knows I need it.” He laughed nervously, just before his stomach betrayed him and loudly grumbled. The boy grinned cheekily, swiveling on his heels and traveling around behind the counter, multiple objects floating around like an organized conveyor belt. “A blueberry muffin might also be nice.” He scratched the back of his neck, casting his gaze to the counter which only earned a good hearted laugh from the boy. “Coming right up!” 

Not a moment later and he was being slid a frosty cup and a small baggie. He took the items, smiling gratefully at the boy. “Thanks so much.” It was extremely lucky he managed to run into another exceptionally nice person here. Was everyone this nice? Besides the Dean he hadn’t run into anyone else who seemed the least bit sour tongued. 

“No problem, just make sure to hit me up with those power coins next time, Kay?” The boy winked, and Phil laughed back. “Will do!” 

He turned, nearly colliding with someone as he turned around. 

When he looked up familiar green eyes looked back at him, glaring with intensity. 

Phil stepped back in surprise, fumbling with his cup in order to keep any of its contents from spilling. “Oh- sorry. I- you’re the same guy from earlier, right?” He asked tentatively, hoping he wouldn’t be burned to a crisp on the spot. 

The guys mouth twitched into a smirk. “Ah Yes, the famous window man. Phil, right?” Phil immediately mentally slapped himself. Great, he’d spent barely a day here and he was already known for some ridiculous name. “Uh- y-yah. You are?” He cut right to the chase, yearning to know this mystery guys name. 

“I go by PJ.” He turned his chin upward, a smug look in his eye that told Phil he should stray from disrespecting this guy. 

“PJ! PJ where did you-“ the glass door to the Starbucks swung open, revealing a girl with blond wavy hair and blue-ish green eyes. “Oh my lord- there you are!” The girls eyes landed on PJ, and she marched over, another boy seeming to follow her close behind. “What you just decide to march into the first cafe you see? What are we gonna do with you.” The girl shook her head looking exasperated. 

Phil barely noticed though because amber eyes were burning into his skull, taking all his attention with them. 

The boy that followed behind was tall. Possibly even taller than Phil, which is definitely saying something. His hair was curled and sat nicely atop his head, soft yet hypnotizing brown eyes resting below the curves. 

“Who are you?” The boy spoke, drawing the girls attention as everyone’s eyes fixed onto Phil. 

He felt briefly like he was sinking into a precipice, but tried to keep his voice steady. “Oh, I’m Phil. I just- I just met with PJ.” He stuffed his awkward thumb into the pocket of his pants, still gripping the coffee in his other hand. 

“Oh, well, nice to meet you Phil!” The girl brightened almost immediately, a bright smile gracing her large cheekbones. “I’m Louise, this is Pj as you know and that’s-“ She looked toward the brown haired boy, who cut her off before she could finish. “I’ll be waiting by the window.” With that he turned and walked off to one of the empty window booths, pulling out his phone as soon as he touched the cushion. 

Louise and PJ seemed to cringe a bit at his rude behavior. “Ah, sorry about him. That’s Dan. He uh, doesn’t fancy meeting new people too much.” Louise apologized, seeming embarrassed on his behalf. 

“That’s alright. It’s nice meeting you, I just got here yesterday so I’m kind of bumbling around until I figure out my schedule.” He admitted, gesturing to his coffee and muffins. 

The pairs of eyes widened and Louise clapped her hands together excitedly. “Oh wonderful! What power class are you majoring in?” 

Ah, of course that would be her first question. Awkwardly, Phil began shifting on his feet, not exactly sure how to answer. “Er, I Uh- actually I don’t really- I don’t know my power yet. I came here to learn what it is.” He felt weirdly out of place now, surrounded by all these powerful people and then there was him, just a normal dude. 

Their expressions twisted into a confused frown. “Oh- that’s, new.” Louise looked to PJ, confusion written in her gaze. Phil felt those amber eyes boring into his head again from his side, making him tense nervously. 

“Y-yah. I guess it’s pretty weird for me too.” He laughed nervously, swaying back and forth on his heels. “But, who knows maybe I’ll have some sort of crazy magical water bending or something.” He tried to lighten the mood, wanting to shift the attention off of his displacement. It seemed to work once Louise laughed and Pj smirked, his green eyes swiveling to the tall boy in the booth. “Hear that dan? Wouldn’t that be interesting, someone who could rival your powers?” His voice was cheeky, and the boy only glared back, turning that glare to Phil which made a chill run down his spine. 

“Rival me?” The boy tutted, scoffing and looking back down to his phone with a look of disbelief and disgust. 

PJ rolled his eyes, turning back to look at Phil. He seemed rather unfazed, which Phil found odd since every look the boy threw his way made his blood run cold. 

“Well, just know that whatever power you end up with we look forward to seeing you in class. I’m in the elemental class right now, I am majoring in plant manipulation.” Phil blinked in surprise. Elementals were pretty rare, and quite powerful in mastery.

“And I major in Rehabilitation and recovery. Aka I can heal real good.” Louise smiled brightly, and Phil found her to be an endless ray of happiness. Without literally thinking at all, he looked over to Dan. “What about you?” 

He immediately shut his trap, watching as those blazing amber eyes turned back to Phil, the embers inside of them alighting and swirling in the coffee gaze. The boy stood, walking slowly up to Phil, and he felt every muscle in his body tense. 

“Well In case you couldn’t piece that together yourself earlier, tell me, what’s the opposite of water?” His voice was surprisingly icy, laced with a cold sheet of frost and ash. Phil gulped, standing straighter so he could meet the boys eyes without having to tilt his head up much. “Fire. So is that it? Is that your power?” His voice was oddly calm, which surprised even him. 

The boy got impossibly closer so that their noses nearly touched and Phil couldn’t help his eyes from traveling to the boys lips. He immediately snatched his gaze back up, slapping himself for even going there. The boy seemed to take notice however and his lips quirked into a smirk, which made Phil’s blood boil. “Well aren’t you a smart one. Specifically I major in Detonation and explosives. But yes, I can manipulate and produce fire. Not without restraints of course, so for now you won’t have anything to worry about.” For the first time Phil noticed two bright amber earrings in the boys ears. The insides of them seemed to glow and swirl with fire. 

Restraints? Was that what those were? Was that what Christopher’s Mask was? Was that why he’d seen so many students with random accessories? 

It made sense, it really did. He didn’t know why that concept surprised him so much. Of course there would be restraints, someone could burn the school to the ground if there weren’t. But still, it felt weirdly oppressing. To not be able to use your power, that sounded horrible. But maybe it didn’t restrict them completely, perhaps it only limited them. 

His brain drifted back to what Dan had said, and he scrambled to find something to say back. “Well, Good then. I-I hope we’ll meet again sometime.” He extended a hesitant hand, though his gaze was hardened with courage. The boy looked down to the hand, a brief look of surprise crossing his face but it was gone before Phil could blink. The boy looked back up, meeting the hard stare with a stare of his own, and before he knew it large hands were grasping around his palm. He felt it as another shiver passed through him at the physical contact. Dans hands were huge, probably as big as Phil’s face if he were to spread his fingers. That thought was immediately trashed, knowing if he thought about that too much his mind would go to dark places. 

“Don’t count on it Lester.” Then the boy was turning, heading back for the glass doors of the building. Phil could barely comprehend anything after that. How the hell did he know Phil’s last name? He hadn’t brought it up in conversation. 

Phil noticed something as the boy turned around. A large white circle on the back of the boys neck. It looked like- an implant? What the hell? 

Then the boy was out the door and Phil was left to scramble some goodbyes to the boys parting friends and rushing to a booth to eat alone and gather his thoughts. 

***  
He read over his schedule while he was there, taking time to memorize the routes to each building he’d be visiting. 

It basically consisted of Physics, Maths, S.O.P History 1, Literature, Training, And he took an art course for good measure. 

There was still one particular building in the back of his mind though. The destructive class. It was such a weird point of tension with Chris, surely that meant there was something important there? And if any students have free rein then.. 

His mind was made up before he could blink. 

***

A long cement staircase rose up in front of him, leading to wide auburn doors with huge dragon head knockers. 

Cautiously, he made his way up the steps, his skin crawling with the feeling he was doing something wrong. Which, he probably was if every other student avoided this place like the plague. 

He had just reached the top, about to step toward the doors when they swung open with surprising force, nearly hitting him square in the face. He staggered back in shock, catching himself before he slipped off the back of the stairs. 

A tall boy with blonde hair and blue eyes stood in the doorway. His eyes seemed to glow with menace, and Phil noticed large metal blue gloves wrapped around the boys hands. 

“Uh- h-hi. Sorry I didn’t know if I’m allowed to come in or not I was going to just-“ His stammerings were immediately cut off when the boy raised his hand abruptly. “Shut. In case your tour guide conveniently forgot to mention this place, this is the destructive class. No one is permitted in here unless they’re told to be. And I’m going to guess your power isn’t quite this special Newby.” His lips curved in a sneer, and there was obvious belittlement in his blue irises. 

Phil’s brows knitted, but he held off from letting the boys words get to him too much. “Sorry, I wasn’t aware. Why are others not allowed inside?” He was testing his luck he knew, but surely he wouldn’t get jumped or something just for asking. Not in broad daylight in front of the second biggest building on campus. 

The boy stepped closer, full on glaring now as he got into Phil’s personal space. “Listen kid. This place behind me? This place will be the death of you if you aren’t careful. Just do us all a favor and stay far the fuck away.” Phil noticed blue steam leaking from the cracks in the boys gloves. Okay, he’s gotten the hint now. Silently, he backed away, giving the boy a digregiouse look as he went. “Noted.” Was all he said, before turning and heading down the steps. He paused at the bottom to look back, seeing the boy still standing there. “I’m Phil, by the way.” He gave a single wave before turning and continuing on his way. Okay so, not _everyone_ here was nice. So far 3 Of the 10 random people he’s met have been a bit less than friendly, but hey, it could always be worse. 

He felt those icy blue eyes watching him all the way down the dirt path as he headed to his dorm again. At this point he just wanted to chill. He could worry about all the important stuff tomorrow. 

As soon as he got inside his dorm building though, he was met with a small crowd of people in the lobby. Two of which, he recognized from earlier. 

As soon as Louise spotted him her face lit up and she rushed over toward him. “Phil! Great to see you again love!” She wrapped him in a surprising hug. He did not really think they were on hugging base yet but meh. It didn’t bother him too much. 

“Phil? Who’s that?” One of the other guys asked. He had dirty blonde spiky hair and a short beard, as well as square rimmed glasses. PJ answered before Phil had the chance, leaning back casually on the desk behind him. “We met him at the Starbucks. Literally ran into him. Dan gave him the official newby welcome.” His lips quirked into a smirk and the guy laughed, turning sympathetic eyes on Phil. “Sorry about that, dan is the unsocial killjoy of the Group.” Phil laughed it off, tentatively stepping up toward the gathered group. “It’s alright, he wasn’t too bad. Just a bit...intimidating.” Another boy laughed, another one Phil hadn’t met yet. He had brown nicely swept hair, and a happy face that seemed welcoming with brown eyes. A girl stood next to him with dark hair and a happy exterior to match. “Yep, that’s dan for you!” The boy laughed, then stepped forward and extended a hand to Phil. “I’m Matt. This is Steph, my girlfriend. This is Tom, Tyler, and that’s- well you’ve already met them but that’s PJ and Louise.” Phil was grateful for the official welcome, thinking it was a bit awkward not knowing their names. “I’m Phil, but you Uh, already knew that.” And Of course he was just awkward as ever. 

Matt only smiled back though, and Steph grinned beside him. “Well, we give you the official welcome Phil! So what are you majoring in?” Steph asked, and Phil caught PJ and Louise sharing a glance somewhere off to his side. 

“Uh-“ he really should be prepared for this by now. “Actually I don’t know what my power is yet. I came here to learn. I tested positive on the testing though so I know it’s there somewhere. Either that or they’ve made a terrible error.” He scratched the back of his neck, hoping this conversation wouldn’t delve into awkward territory. Luckily instead of the weird glances PJ and Louise had shared Matt and Steph both looked extremely curious. 

“Wow- really? That’s like, pretty rare, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet. It must be something good if it’s taken this long.” He seemed to look straight into Phil’s soul, which made him tense a bit under the instance stare. Not a second later though and Steph was hitting the back of his head. “Ow!” He yelped, But Steph only pointed an accusatory finger at him. “Stop doing that’, it’s not good to get into newbie's heads.” She scolded, and Phil only blinked in confusion. Just then another voice was speaking into his ear, apparently belonging to the blonde haired Tyler that was mentioned earlier. “He’s a mind reader if you couldn’t put that together.” Phil almost gasped, immediately trying to remember if he thought anything embarrassing on his way in. 

“Don’t worry I’m not- I won’t like listen to your thoughts all the time or anything. I can chose to focus on someone’s thoughts but you’ll always know if I’m doing it and you can ask me to stop and I won’t say anything of course-“ Matt seemed genuinely regretful, which helped to assure Phil a bit more. “No no, it’s ok! I just have really stupid thoughts sometimes so, that’s just a warning.” He laughed, hoping it would help to calm Matt slightly which it did seem to do for the most part. 

“Well, we’re about to go out for some pizza. Want to join?” The guy named Tom stepped forward and offered to Phil, who stared back in surprise. _I’ve been here for barely a day and I’m already being invited out for pizza. This could not be going better._

He nods immediately, eager for any invitation to become closer friends with these guys. 

“Course! If it’s not a bother or anything,” then he remembered the whole Power coin issue and his smile twisted into a frown. “Oh- but I don’t- I don’t have any coins. I’m sorry, I could join you guys another time when,” he was cut off by Tom, who waved his hands dismissively. “Nah don’t worry about it mate. I already agreed to pay for everyone, so you wouldn’t be hurting anything.” Phil felt like an inconvenience, but before he could protest anymore he was being ushered out the door by everyone who gave him reassuring words on their way. 

“Oh by the way, Dan will be there later. That alright with you?” PJ came to stand by Phil as the group began to walk down the path toward the markets and shops. Phil tensed a bit, but exhaled and gathered himself. Around all these other lovely people surely one sour face couldn’t spoil it. “Yah, that’s fine.” Was all he said, before turning his head up and trailing after the group.


	2. Drama & Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some drama happens and new revelations about the school of powers are uncovered.

They walked down the path until they reached a quaint little diner called ‘Waltz Pizza’, And Phil near melted as the sweet aroma of sauce bread and cheese filled his nose. He wasn’t a fan of cheese but despite that adored the taste of pizza. 

Following behind the sizable group, they stood waiting in the foyer’ for about 10 minutes or so before being led by a suited woman to a large table toward the back. Phil took a moment to look around the place as he took a seat between Tom and Tyler, adoring the retro theme the restaurant had going on. Records and discs hung from the ceiling by wires, and album covers and posters lined the walls. Some vintage T-Shirts and guitars accompanied the occasional work of art, and the floor was carpeted red and gold. Metal railings with posh red dividers separated the tables from the halls, and there was a separate room off to the side with old arcade machines. He also took notice of a pony and donald duck quarter ride, along with a large carousel horse on a podium in the dead center of the restaurant. All around a swanky place if he said so himself. 

About 20 minutes into casual conversation with Tom and PJ about the time when PJ accidentally knocked Tom over once with a vine and he got a concussion, Phil noticed a semi-familiar face walk in. 

He blinked though, because he wasn’t alone. Stood beside Dan was a girl with brown hair and a too-sweet smile, clinging onto dans arm and giving him just about the biggest googly eyes Phil had ever seen. 

_Oh, so dan has a girlfriend. Good to know._

Or at least, that’s what he thought before recognizing the annoyance on the boys face. But that was no where close to the glare he sent Phil as soon as they locked eyes. 

“What is he doing here?” Dan sneered, his lips visibly curling in distaste. Phil deflated a little, having expected this but weirdly still felt put off. “I was invited,” he tries, but dan keeps talking, focusing most of his attention on Louise and PJ. “Are we just going to invite every new person we meet into the group now? How do we know he’s not a weirdo murderer?” Dans brown eyes flashed back up to Phil’s, and he could see flecks of Amber swirling in the irises. Phil feels his blood boil a bit, feeling an impulse to stand up for himself. He pushes it down though, because he wants to make a good first impression here, and getting in a fight with Dan wasn’t the way to do it. 

“Give him a break dude. He’s just coming out for some pizza. It would have been weirder to not invite him. Plus, he’s new, so he’ll need someone to show him the ropes around here.” PJ leaned back in his chair, and he seemed casual about all this which made Phil relax a bit. Dan still looked skeptical, but huffed and sat down in annoyance anyways. The girl quickly followed and sat in the chair beside him, shuffling over so she was basically sitting on his lap. Something about the way she clung to him and the way dan seemed to lean away sent off a weird uncomfortableness in Phil’s stomach. 

“Whatever. Y’all will be apologizing to me once he turns out to be some sort of psychopath.” Is all he said, before purposefully reaching out to take a sip of his water in order to shake the girl off for a moment of peace. As soon as he put the cup back down though, she was back again, leaning onto his shoulder and talking quietly to him. Dan seemed to be getting infinitely frustrated with her, and Phil could tell he was looking for any sort of out. 

“So- who are you?” Phil hoped the distraction from Dan might be enough to save the poor boy for a moment, even if it meant he’d have to confront this girl. 

The girl turned to look at him in surprise, almost like she just noticed him for the first time. “Oh,” she paused her constant flaunting on dan and smiled all too brightly, leaning forward on her elbows and resting her chin in her hands. “Hello there tall and handsome, I’m Cat. You’re new here, aren’t you?” She all but purred, her eyes fluttering under thick lashes. Phil immediately felt like ants were crawling beneath his skin, and shrunk in on himself a bit. He was never good with flirting, especially around strangers. 

“Uh, yah, I am. Just got here yesterday, actually.” He nervously fidgeted with his hands, distracting himself by twirling his cup around in his fingers. The girl obviously wasn’t picking up on the hints, and pushed just a tad further. Luckily though Tom swooped in to the rescue. “Ooo a newbie eh? Well I hope your in my class, training with you sounds delightful.” Her eyes glazed over Phil hungrily, but the look on dans face told Phil he wasn’t jealous at all. Perhaps they really weren’t together. “Alright Cat, I think Phil’s got the official cat welcome” Tom mused, casually taking a sip of the beer he’d ordered. 

She pouted in response, and turned to Dan once more. “Aww, But I wanna know! You know by now, don’t you Danny? What’s his deal?” She wrapped her arms around dans neck and turned to face him with what were probably supposed to be puppy dog eyes. Dan only scowled in return though and pointedly turned forward to stare at the table. “Don’t ask me, I just met him once earlier.” He was obviously trying to pry her off, and finally it seemed she got the hint. This proved to be a bad thing for Phil though, as she focused her attention back onto him and her lips contorted into a smirk. Dramatically, she scoffed and stood from her seat, circling the table until she could plop herself right in Phil’s lap and go to wrap her arms around his neck instead. 

Pouting at dan, she uttered “Well then I’m sure somebody will answer my questions. So love,” She turned those big eyes back onto Phil, and he felt like he could hardly breath. “What’s your name? Thought I heard a ‘Phil’ mentioned earlier, is that it?” She tilted her head, almost letting it rest on Phil’s chest and Phil felt extremely uncomfortable and...violated? Was that the right word? Well, it certainly felt like the right word. He had the sudden urge to shove her off him as quickly as possible, but held back on the count of being too shocked to move. “I- y-yah I’m Phil.” He turned his panicked gaze up to the others at the table, willing them to step in. 

Luckily, the others seem to catch on. “Cat, I don’t think Phil is alright with that,” he heard Tom utter, quickly accompanied by Matt who seemed the most adamant on coming to Phil’s aid. Perhaps it was because he’d happened to look into Phil’s thoughts and realize just how uncomfortable he was. “C’mon cat, were all tired. Give him a break, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to ask him questions later. Let’s just enjoy the night.” 

Cat seemed to take offense to both of them, and just gripped onto Phil even tighter. “Aww, c’mon guys don’t be so over dramatic. And you don’t mind anyways, don’t you Phil?” She cooed, flaunting her big lashes back up at Phil, who’s temporarily forgotten how to speak. “I-I-“ He hated confrontation, especially awkward confrontation. Luckily though, someone else comes to his rescue. 

Dans eyes are blazing at this point and he takes on a cold and authoritative tone as he speaks to Cat. “It’s pretty damn obvious to everyone he minds cat. Stop being a whore and get the fuck off of him.” Phil is a bit shell-shocked dan would use that word on a supposed friend, but perhaps they really aren’t as close as Phil thought originally. This obviously leaves the table in a tense silence and cats eyes are fused with a mix of shock, betrayal, and fury. 

“Oh, well excuse me,” She pushes off Phil harshly, hurting him in the process but he doesn’t have time to dwell as she continues and turns to face dan with a scowl on her lips. “So sorry, I didn’t realize I was violating your damn boyfriend. Didn’t realize it made you so uncomfortable Dan.” 

And that’s what seems to make Dan snap. Seething, he stands from his chair abruptly and slammed his hand down on the wood surface, gaining some onlookers attention. “Cat. We need to talk. Outside. Now.” And then he’s grabbing cats wrist and storming toward the front doors, dragging her outside. The group can still see the two through the window, and it looks like they’re having some sort of heated argument. 

Phil releases a long breath, feeling his face hot with embarrassment. He really didn’t want to cause a scene, and he felt like this was all his fault. “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean for this, really she was fine I was just being-“ but he was cut off by Pj, who waved his hands dismissively. “No, don’t worry Phil really this wasn’t your fault. Those two have been at each other’s throats recently. This was just the tipping point I guess. Sorry you had to get caught in the middle.” PJ seemed genuinely apologetic, and Phil just wondered what the hell was going on with those two to begin with. 

Luckily though he didn’t have to wait for an answer because Matt answered for him. “Cat was sort of a recent addition to the group. She sort of introduced herself a couple weeks ago and she’s had kind of a...infatuation, with dan. Obviously as you can see dans not really there for it, but she doesn’t really catch on too well. They’ve been fighting every now and then but this was the first time I’ve seen Dan visibly snap like that. I can’t really blame him though, even I was getting angry. She shouldn’t have come onto you like that, if I could have helped more than I would have, but dan beat me to it.” 

Phil relaxed slightly now. At least he had the others’ accommodations and their words helped him to feel less crappy. Still though, his thoughts weren’t exactly settled. He looked back out toward the window, where things between the two seemed to be getting even further heated. Cat suddenly broke out into sobs and Phil could tell Dan was trying not to make things worse. He felt bad for Dan more than anything in this scenario. I mean, he’d be pretty pissed too if he had someone like her hanging off of his every action and constantly flirting with him. He’s sure some guys out there would like that, but not Phil. For more than one reason really. But having to put up with it for so long even after explicitly asking them to stop only for them to blow up in your face; yah that would be a bit too much. But to be honest, Phil still probably wouldn’t do much of anything. He really hates confrontation, and will often go to greatly inconvenient lengths to avoid it, even if things end up worse for him. 

Things changed though. 

Phil saw a flash run through his head. An image of sorts. He saw long, rocky black claws wrapping around dans neck and shoving him against the window pane. The thought passed quickly though, but it left Phil out breath. Usually when he has those thoughts, he’s the one to conjure them up. But this time it was like the thought was shoved into his head, forcing him to see it in vivid detail. 

He clutched his chair arm tighter, looking dazed for a moment, before he had to focus back on what was happening in reality. 

Cat was still sobbing, but her sobs turned to furious shouts, and she began to step closer to dan, raising her voice so much that Phil could hear almost every word. Something about “So selfish!” And “Gay” were words Phil caught, and he could see the growing Panic and Caution on Dans face. 

Cat started to change. He watched as her shoulders broadened and morphed, and she grew in height. Her arms extended and long, rocky claws grew at her fingers. Her skin erupted into a strange molded pebble, and suddenly it was no longer cat standing in front of dan but a monster. 

He heard a brief panicked shout of “Cat, cat where are your restraints-“ before shit hit the fan. 

Long black rocky claws gripped around Dans neck and lifted him off the ground as Dan desperately pried at the fingers. It wasn’t long before she was throwing him against the glass pane, leaving a crack behind where Dan's head hit against the window. Immediately, Phil heard distant shouts from around him of “Tyler call the cops-“ and “Steph lets go” as the others rushed for the doors. 

Phil wasn’t far behind, running out after Pj and laying his eyes on the scene before him. Cat had dan pressed against the glass, her claws wrapping tighter and tighter around his neck, and it was obvious dan couldn’t breath. 

“Cat, cat please back down! Don’t make us do this!” And “Your better than this!” Came from PJ and Matt as cats now unrecognizable face glowered down at Dan. A guttural rumble sounded in her throat, a noise a human could never produce, and her claws sunk deeper and deeper around dan. 

Phil heard dan struggling, and managed to hear a small choked “Cat- P-please”. Dans eyes were pure amber, sparking like fire, and Phil could feel a massive wave of heat coming from him. The Earrings dan wore were glowing brightly like a solar flare, and Phil couldn’t tell if dan was trying to summon his power or hold it back. When those Amber eyes began to roll to the back of Dans head, Phil had the sudden urge to rush forward himself, but luckily he didn’t have too. 

The claws around dans neck began to shake and tremble, and suddenly moved backward. It didn’t seem of cats own accord though, as she made a low noise of protest before long tendrils wrapped around her ankles. With her claws suddenly pulled backward and the vines wrapped tight around her feet she fell back and landed hard. Phil looked over to see both Steph and PJ concentrating intensely, their hands outstretched and sweat rolling down their faces. Phil easily recognized their restraints from the bright glow that was emitting from them. With Steph it was in the form of a Blue diamond necklace, and with Pj it was with a green jewel on one of his bracelets. 

Not a moment later and the noise and flares of Sirens rounded the corner. The next few moments passed in a haze as men in uniforms leapt out of the vehicle and forced heavy restraints onto the writhing cat. Almost immediately her movements slowed and she morphed back, but by the time she could come to her senses she was being shoved harshly into the back of one of the police cruisers.

His eyes first landed on Dan in the midst of all this. The boys legs trembled, and Phil knew they wouldn’t keep him upright any longer. Before he could fall however, Phil was rushing forward and catching him, slowly lowering him to the ground with a great gentleness. 

Those eyes that were so amber were now a dull Brown, and the light had faded completely from Dan’s Earrings. He watched the pupils dilate and grow wider, and the air that was entering and escaping him was short and choked. 

“Dan! Oh Dan!-“ and then Louise was crouched over him, her hands trembling fiercely as she searched his neck and listened to his breathing. Like a second nature she whipped out a tube filled with some sort of paste, rubbing it together before harshly applying it to Dans neck. A Choked noise of pain left Dans lips, and Phil felt his heart ache at the noise. To try and ease dans pain, Phil did something his mother used to do to him when he was younger. He began to lightly stroke his fingers through dan's hair, massaging his head meanwhile and whispering soft words of reassurance to him as Louise did whatever she had to do. It seemed to work slightly, as a few moments later and Dans eyes were closed as he made soft noises of content. 

A man in a white coat approached not a moment later, ushering them to get Dan into the ambulance so they could send him off to the infirmary.

Phil knew dan wouldn’t be able to stand himself so instead he wrapped his arms beneath dans back and legs and carried him toward the open bed of the ambulance. They laid him out on a stretcher and hauled him inside, saying only two people could accompany him. 

Phil stepped back as Louise climbed inside, and turned around, expecting someone else to be there. But PJ and Steph were both still on the ground, looking worn out and being accompanied by Matt and Tom and a couple doctors. He also noticed Tyler explaining the whole situation to one of the officers off to the side, still seeming shaken by the whole thing. With no other options Phil turned and climbed into the ambulance beside Louise, watching as the doors were shut and they took off toward the Infirmary. 

The ride there was tense, and neither Louise nor Phil spoke as Dan was hooked up to some machines. He looked so pale and weak, quite contrary to the menace and flare that was usually present there. His eyes had tired bags beneath them, making him look infinitely older than he truly was. His hair was disheveled, and stuck to his forehead with sweat. Not to mention the deep bruising along dans neck, thick and purple and red despite whatever healing Louise had applied to it. It was almost terrifying. 

Luckily though it wasn’t long at all until they were pulling up at the Infirmary, which happened to be a small building connected to the Main hall. Dan was ushered off into one of the many rooms and Phil and Louise were told to wait in the main lobby until they were called in by a Doctor. 

As soon as they took a seat Louise lost it and began to frantically sob into Phil’s shoulder. Unlike cat though, Phil didn’t mind the physical contact and returned it through a hug, knowing how worried she must be and knowing how close friends her and Dan had been. 

“Oh god- Phil what if it leaves a permanent scar? What if dan can never breathe the same way again- what if he goes mute from this?” Phil knew all these things were ludicrous in a place like this. In a word filled with powers, it wasn’t impossible for scars to fade and terminal wounds to heal and for the mute blind and deaf to See hear and speak again. But he understood that it all came from a place of caring within Louise. So he just hugged her and whispered reassurances to her as he had done with Dan, saying things would be alright and that Dan would fight this. 

Not too long after Louise had finally began to calm down, and there was a click as a Man in a white coat came through the door. “Are a Louise and PJ here?” He called, making Phil cringe a bit as Louise had to awkwardly correct him with “Actually, it's Louise and Phil,” To which the man just shrugged and ushered them forward, muttering “Whatever, just come and follow me,” And so they did. 

They followed the man into a white walled room, and were told a nurse would be checking in on them in a few minutes. After he left they were confronted with the image of dan in a hospital bed, sat up and rubbing his forehead with his hand. He seemed to not notice Phil was there as Louise rushed up toward him and wrapped him in a big hug, To which Dan groaned but seemed appreciative of her concern. 

“Oh thank the heavens your alright love! How are you feeling, is your throat doing alright?” There was a thick wrapping of gauze around dans neck, shielding the damaged skin that lay underneath it. Dan just groaned again, his voice obviously hoarse but working. “M’fine. Dammit my neck hurts though.” He coughed, which seemed to make it worse as the cough was dry and only furthered the pain. “The hell am I? What happened?” His eyes adjusted slightly to the room, confused until they landed on Phil. Certain amber sparks seemed to set off once their eyes locked, making Phil’s stomach twist again. “And what’s he bloody doing here?” There was clear annoyance in dans voice, but also genuine confusion. 

Louise sighed and rubbed her hands over her eyes. “It’s a long story. You don’t remember anything? About cat? About the fight?” And those words seem to spark something within dan, who lets out a shaky sigh and runs his hands through his hair. “Fuck.” He breaths, curling his knee up and resting his elbow there. 

“Cat looked like she would have killed you. Thank the lord PJ and Steph were there, and the cops came quick. And your lucky I had my bottle on me, I almost didn’t bring it.” She held up the now empty bottle pointedly, staring at it like it was the most precious thing she owned (which, it might very well be). “In case you don’t remember since I know you were out most of the time, Phil had to basically fall over trying to catch you after you nearly fainted. Pj and Steph had to stay behind because of the drainage, and Tom and Matt stayed with them. I think Tyler was busy talking with the officer.” Dan seemed to be recollecting everything bit by bit, and nodded, the memories seeming to pass behind his eyes as Louise retold them. 

“Damn. She really...I can’t believe she-“ He broke off into another coughing fit, his throat sounding dry and broken. Phil decided he should make himself useful, and stepped forward quickly. “I’ll go and get you some water,” Then he was darting out of the room and down the hall toward a small water dispenser. As he watched the water trickle into the paper cup, he thought back to moments before things had gone to hell. Back to the vision. 

Was it a vision? Was it a coincidental thought that passed through his mind? Did it mean something? And if so, what? Could this be- 

No. He needed to stop thinking too much on this before he got his hopes up about anything. It wasn’t anything. It didn’t mean anything. His thoughts had just been surprisingly on the nose. 

Breathing a bit more heavily, Phil made his way back to the room, entering and noticing the change of expressions on the twos faces. Dans cheeks were flushed bright red and Louise was smirking cheekily at him, sending off a load of questions in Phil’s head. As soon as dan noticed Phil though, the expression was gone and he was making urgent motions for the water. 

Phil obliged and shoved the cup in dans hands, who downed it almost immediately and let out a low groan of pleasure at the refreshing feeling it supplied his throat. Phil tried to not let the noise linger in his brain for too long as he cautiously went to sit in one of the chairs off to the side. 

“So, how bad is the Uh, is your neck?” Phil stammered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He noticed how the amber that has been simmering in Dans eyes seemed to cool with the water. Perhaps it was like that for all the people with Fire related powers. 

Dan glared up at him, those eyes turning cold again. “What’s it to you?” And by now Phil should really expect this kind of behavior from him, but he found himself to still be surprised. 

Louise slapped dans shoulder abruptly, her tone scolding. “Dan, be nice!” She shoved him a bit and he rolled his eyes. “Phil literally saved you from falling and getting a possible concussion. And on top of that, I wanna know too.” She pouted, And he eventually sighed in defeat. 

“Fine. My neck feels like it was strangled by a monster. Is that what ya wanted to hear?” The absolute look of trepidation and unamusement Louise gave him in return had dan groaning and raising his hands in surrender. “You bloody asked. They told me I was probably gonna have a scar for a bit, unless I could pay to get it removed, which, no thanks.” Phil watched as dans long fingers came to gently touch the gauze that laid firmly around his neck. “I still can’t believe she-“ he cut himself off, his eyes trailing into darkness, despite the amber that was brightly returning to them. 

Louise laid a gentle hand on his wrist, her eyes calm as the surface of a hidden lake. “Dan? Do you think you can tell us what she said?” Her voice was gentle, an invitation to pass if Dan deemed the subject too touché. Luckily for Phil’s insane curiosity, Dan sighed and leaned forward to rest his forehead on his palm. 

“It’s not pretty.” His eyes briefly trailed back up to Phil’s, hardening slightly. Phil didn’t want Dan to feel like he was being intruded upon. This was a conversation between friends, and Phil had only just been introduced to him earlier that day. And despite the selfish want to know more, he also knew when to put others before yourself. Maybe a bit too well. 

“I’m sorry- i can go if you want-“ Phil started to stand from his chair, knowing his presence wasn’t wanted. 

“Sit down Lester.” The words surprised him and had his eyes snapping back to look up at the brown haired boy, who’s eyes were back to their coffee brown. Slowly, Phil obliged and sat back in the mildly uncomfortable padded stool. 

Dan didn’t do any more elaboration, and just jumped straight into the story. Phil couldn’t help to keep himself from leaning forward in curiosity. 

“After she made that whole scene I knew I needed to talk with her. Things between us had Gotten so out of hand.” Those eyes drifted to Phil again, flecks of Amber starting to appear. “She has this fantasy of us. Of me. She thinks that we were made for each other and one day we’ll live happily ever after. I guess she’s as dense as a brick considering I told her multiple times I wasn’t interested, but oh well. I could deal with it. Yah it was fucking annoying when she’d get clingy and flirt, but I’ve had to deal with worse in the past. But today- fucking-“ Phil watched as Dans hands balled into a tight fist, the knuckles going white. “Coming onto me is one thing. But coming onto someone new just to get back at me? That’s crossing the line.” Once more those eyes flicked to Phil, filled with anger and scorn. 

Phil remembered the feeling of hands pressing against his chest, and the way those eyes fluttered up at him. He shivered just at the thought.

“After I dragged her outside,” Dan continued after a moment's pause, looking back down to the tiled floor. “She got mad, obviously. I told her that she couldn’t leach off every new guy she met, especially when they weren’t okay with it. Basically told her things a 10 year old should know. But just like always, she tried to turn things on me. Saying that I was just jealous and that even i could tell that ‘Phil was loving it’ and that everyone was making it a bigger deal then it was.” He let out a breath through his nose, and Phil felt the room suddenly grow hot. It was strange, knowing dan could do that. 

“Anyways, I said something to her after that..” he trailed off again, a brief flash of regret and guilt passing those Amber flecked orbs, but washing away quickly. Phil wondered what he could have possibly said to her that had thrown her into that raging ball of anger and murder. 

“I told her that she was delusional. That not me or any other sensible man will ever love her. I told her that she was just a whore who lusts for nothing but a piece of meat to drag to bed at night. One who was flimsy enough to fall for something stupid like that. I told her that if she was smart, she would get a brain and focus more on her studies and less on banging confused men when real life got too boring for her.” The words coming from dans mouth were acidic as soon as they left the air, laced with a bitter underlying tone of regret. 

A silence stretched for a bit, and Phil stared with wide eyes at dan. He could just imagine the anger and fury boiling in those Amber eyes as he said those words. He could imagine that instead of regret it was passion and harshness. He could almost feel the heat that would have been drowning the air around Dan in those moments. He briefly remembers how the windows they were standing by had fogged up. Now he understood why. 

After a bit Louise’s voice chimes in, soft and tentative. “Dan?” She prods, and Dan sighs, running his hands over his pale face. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I was just so fucking pissed.” He let hot air out through his nose, and Phil could start to feel sweat on the back of his neck with how hot the room was becoming. 

“It’s not your fault. I mean, someone needed to let her hear it. Sure It could have been in a… nicer, way. But at least it was said. If you hadn't said anything Sure this wouldn’t have happened but then everything would still be the same and she would continue to be oblivious. Maybe this will help her to see what she did wrong. Unlikely, but possible.” That was probably the most Phil had said to dan so far. Or perhaps anyone so far. 

A considering look passed Dans eyes, but once again it was gone quickly, replaced by a cold shean. “Maybe. But I doubt it. People aren’t so easily changed.” He let out a long breath, and then gathered himself and sat up straighter. “She said stuff to me after that too.” He started, his eyes darkening. “She said that...that I was an awful and selfish person. That I was just saying all those things because it reflected the man I was afraid of becoming.” He scoffed, shaking his head slightly then paused in his words. His eyes looked to Louise then to Phil, then darted back down to his fidgeting hands. “S-she told me that I was a queer. That id never returned her affections because I couldn’t, and that I should just admit it. And oh, how she wanted me to admit it. To make herself feel justified, to make herself feel better. In reality no matter what gender sexuality species or universe she was and was living in, heck, even if she was the last person on planet fucking earth, I wouldn’t have spared her a glance. At that point she was balling her eyes out and I finally realized.” Those brown eyes had remained firmly planted on the floor for that last bit, and Phil felt a pang of pity for dan. 

He didn’t know who dan was into, but at this point that didn’t really matter. He knew what it was like to be called those things before. He learned to move past it eventually, to block out those jaded people from his life before they tainted it. But in a place like this, where your basically secluded into a college campus, with only about 300 people at max? Those words can leave a lasting impact. Especially when you have to see those faces everyday. 

“I finally realized,” Dan spoke again, dragging Phil out of his thoughts and back to the story. “Her restraints were gone.” Phil felt a twinge of curiosity then. Restraints. Such fascinating things, and Phil had so many questions about them. For dan they came in the form of Earrings. For PJ, it was a bracelet. For Steph it had been a necklace. Tom had a belt with an interesting jewel- possibly a restraint. The others he noticed didn’t have anything particularly stand out though. Maybe they didn’t need restraints? Maybe they only needed them if you were considered dangerous? But surely Mind reading at least was something that should be more carefully handled. Again with those questions being shoved to the back of his mind, he focused once more on the boy in front of him. 

“And I knew it, because I’d seen her cry before. She’s an emotional reactionist, so her charms always light up. But I didn’t see the glow on her hand. And then I realized the ring was gone, and I was just about to ask her when she shouted at me. God I’ve never seen someone so bloody angry.” A small amount of fear swam in Dans eyes as he relived the moment. “She just kept shouting. I couldn’t even understand her at one point, the words just started mixing together. Something about me being selfish, another one about me being gay, something else about how I’ll regret not paying back her affections and breaking her heart or some shit. I realized what was happening as soon as I had to look up at her. I was gonna bolt but I just- I thought maybe I could get her to calm back down. And we all saw how that bloody worked out.” He tucked a leg up to rest his chin on, those brows curls swooping in front of his forehead. 

After that dan didn’t say anything else about it. Phil still had so many questions. The top one being, why didn’t you fight back? Your hands were free. Well, they were trying to pry away the claws but- you know what I mean. 

But, he didn’t ask them. Dan had obviously shared more than enough for the moment, and while Louise consoled him and told him it was going to be alright and that she was just glad he was safe, Phil was just busy piecing together everything he’d learned so far about Dan, the group, and the school in general. It was insane how much had gone down. Just in two short days. He knew things would stretch out once classes started, but for once he was excited to get to class tomorrow. He had always had a passion for learning more about the ‘super world’, but had never been able to find enough free time, (or for that matter, information) to indulge himself in the history. Now it would be his job to learn it though! 

Suddenly he was reminded why he was taken here. He had a power of his own. A strange power. Apparently one that’s deciding to take its sweat sweat time. God, he hoped it wouldn’t be something stupid. That would be just his luck, to wait for this long only to have it turn out to be- fricken- the ability to talk to animals or something. 

Actually, now that he thought about it that didn’t sound like the worst thing in the word- 

“Daniel Howell?” The door to the room clicked before it swung open, revealing a woman in a white coat and blond curly hair. Circular glasses rimmed her nose and a clipboard was held resting against her arm. “I’m nurse Jones, how are you feeling dear?” A too-happy smile was glued onto her cherry painted lips, and she extended a soft hand toward Dan. The boy stared at it for a moment, like he was assessing weather to shake it. 

Apparently the answer was no, because he just looked up into her face, ignoring the hand. “Am I allowed to leave?” He asked bluntly, skipping formalities. The nurse looked a bit taken back and probably offended, but tutted and scanned the clipboard. “Aren’t you cheary? You know, you should be a bit more grateful. You’re lucky you had a healer and friends at the scene ready to help. Without them we donno how quick we could have gotten you in here.” Dan glanced down briefly, seeming at least the slightest bit apologetic. 

The lady hummed and looked back to dan, smiling wide again. “Seems your in luck again. The injuries will leave a scar but they didn’t go deeper then the skin, which was able to be reformed with the CO3 your friend had on them.” She gave a small thankful look to Louise, who smiled back and gave dan a pointed and mildly smug look. “Anyways, it says here that yes you can leave if your not feeling any sharp pain. It’ll be sore for a bit and tender, so the recommendation is to not take the gauze off for a couple days. Can you manage that?” Her brow raised at Dan, who scoffed and stood, making himself taller than the lady. “Obviously. Thanks for your hospitality.” His voice seemed to place air quotes around the word hospitality, but the lady didn’t seem fazed by Dans rudeness.

“Have a nice day.” She chimed as the group began to exit the room, and he heard Louise stay behind to apologize for Dans behavior and give a pleasant farewell. Phil himself could only manage a nervous wave, before he was sticking to Dans back like glue as he followed him out of the room and into the main lobby. 

“Bloody hell. As if I didn’t already have enough problems with my neck.” He heard dan mumble, and he was going to ask, but Louise was there and talking before he got the chance. “Dan!” He heard a smack as she hit him in the back of the den, followed by a noise of complaint. “Must you be so rude to everyone? They are literally the people who save lives here.” Her tone was back to scolding, and Phil thought she was about to go on a lengthy rant. 

Luckily they were both saved when Louise got a ping on her phone followed by a loud ringing. 

Picking it up, the three leaned on the wall outside of the building. Phil noticed the sky was beginning to darken now, small streaks of pink swirling in the clouds. 

“Uh huh. Yah alright, I’ll tell them.” Then Louise was hanging up and turning to face the expectant duo. “It was PJ. He called from the dorms, the group is waiting there for us. I told him you were alright but they wanna see you. Don’t worry though I told them you were tired and probably didn’t want to talk for too long.” Dan nodded, letting out a small sigh. 

For the first time Phil realized how tired dan looked. Dark circles had started to rim those now dim brown eyes, contrasting against his pale skin. His Earrings were glowing brightly now that it was beginning to grow darker, but Phil knew dan wasn’t trying to use his power. Perhaps after using one's power the energy from it went into the restraints? He’ll have to ask about that more later, but for now it was getting cold and they needed to be getting back. 

“Lead the way.” Phil muttered, and Louise agreed and stepped forward to begin the walk back toward the dorms. (Which, were on the opposite side of the campus. Yay.) 

As they walked in silence, Phil took the time to look around the campus grounds. He noticed how the trees were turning shades of orange and yellow, and how the wind was blowing just a bit harder. He noticed how the flags attached to the surrounding buildings were curled and tangled up in themselves, most likely not going to be set back until tomorrow morning. He took notice of the people walking by as well. Some walked with a passion and a hurried want to get somewhere. Some walked with their head down like they were lost. Some took glances at the trio, their eyes lingering on Dan and Phil most of the time. Some even seemed to speed up their pace when walking by dan, who gave scowls to anyone who dared make eye contact. 

Phil was beginning to piece together the fact dan seemed to be known around here. Especially to the younger kids. 

But when they drew near the jewels of campus, Phil’s eyes lingered on one particular building. 

The destructive class was still such a curious and eerie thing. The only encounters he’s had with it have been suspicious at best, scary at worst. But now, as they passed the dragon statue that loomed high above their heads, Phil’s eyes were on one thing alone. He had questions, and he needed them to be answered. He knew a subtle way to bring it up, but he didn’t know if it would be a sore subject. Best try. 

“So, was Cat a part of the destructive class?” Phil’s voice was hesitant. More hesitant then he’d meant it to sound, but oh well. It was out. He regretted it the moment dan tensed up and Louise gave Phil a deer in the headlights look though. 

“Uh, Sorry, I don’t know if-“ He was once again cut off, this time by Louise. “Phil, we don’t need to talk about the destructive class,-“ Then like clockwork, Dan came in to cut her off. 

“Yes, She was.” He spoke slowly, like he was calculating the words he was saying with care. “But, She was moved to the transformative power class after her performances were deemed below average. At least, that’s what they told everyone. The real reason was because they couldn’t train her personality to fit to the class. She was too explosive. Too reactive. The course would have been too mentally stimulating and draining. Too intense for a person like her. So, after a particular bad outburst she was transferred.” Dans voice rang hollow, edged with a certain darkness. Even Louise seemed stunned. Did Louise not know about this? Why would the Destructive class want to keep something like this a secret? 

“After this, she’ll most likely be put into an expulsion chamber. Not only did she attack another student on campus, but she got rid of her restraints illegally. I don’t know how, but she did. We probably won’t be seeing her for a long time.” Those eyes turned back to Phil. Still tired and dim, but also housing a certain depth to them now. As if trying to communicate something to Phil. Without thinking much, he continued asking the safer questions. “What happened to her? Why did she morph like that? Into that- that thing?” 

Dan turned back to face the path, and Phil quickened his pace so they could walk side by side. 

“She’s a Shape-shifter. She can take whatever form she wants really. Usually the restraints keep her from becoming anything too dangerous, but obviously that wasn’t a variable this time round’. The thing she became was some type of mythology thing. She favors mythological beast over actual real life species, but since those obviously don’t exist she has to do a bunch of weird alchemy stuff and create her own versions using blood from other currently living animals. I personally think it’s too fucking creepy but then again everything is creepy about cat.” 

Phil thought that it all made sense. But he also couldn’t help the feeling at the back of his mind wondering how much destruction a person with a power like hers would truly be capable of if left with no restraint. Instead of that rock-demon thing she had become, what if she turned into like- into a giant 2 story high monster or something? Now that he thought about it, a lot of the kids here were probably capable of so much destruction if left unrestrained and given the motive. Just using dan as a prime example, (not because he thinks he’d actually do this mind you,) but someone with Dans power could quite literally blow up the whole school and have it erupt in flames. 

Shivering, Phil quickened his pace even more, shoving his hands in his pant pockets and cursing himself for not bringing a jacket. Seems he forgot it was quite literally breaching the middle of fall and it would start getting bloody cold. 

Dan seemed to notice Phil’s inner torment and sent a smirk his way. “Thought it was a good idea to wear a T-shirt in the middle of fall without a jacket did you?” Phil groaned and wrapped his arms tighter around himself. “S’not my fault I was dragged out of my room this morning and tossed into a weird bubble with little preparation.” He defended himself, knowing it was a weak excuse. 

Dan rolled his eyes but started taking off his jacket. 

Phil’s eyes widened and he went to stop him but before he could finish an extremely warm coat was being placed around his shoulders and he nearly melted into it. “Dan, please you really don’t have too-oh. Oooh,” He immediately tucked into the warm dark fabric, thinking it felt as though it just came out of the laundry dryer. 

He looked over only to find dan smirking again, but Phil couldn’t be bothered to care at the moment. Though now that dan was left in a thin sweater he sort of felt bad. “You really didn’t have to, now you’ll be cold.” He pointed out, though honestly he had no plans to return the jacket anytime soon. Dan scoffed and looked back out at the path, his eyes looking heavenward. “Phil. Y’know how Fire elementals can control their own body heat?” He sent a pointed look to Phil, who blinked twice before the lightbulb finally clicked on. “Oohhh. Well. Guess that explains it.” He glanced at his shoes, feeling a bit embarrassed and like he should catch onto these things by now. “All this stuff is still so new to me. I’m still getting used to it.” 

He felt a hand on his back and looked over to see Louise smiling at him reassuringly. “It’s alright. Everyone starts out like you, but over time they learn. Just wait until you get settled, things will start making a lot more sense, trust me.” He was able to feel some sort of assurance in that, which helped to calm his nerves a bit. 

He still wasn’t able to get over the warmth of the jacket, and it seemed to be lasting a while. He guessed it made sense considering dan had been wearing it all day, but it was very hard to resist burying his face in it. (He didn’t of course because like, that would be weird.) 

He tried to think of something else to say to fill the silence, not because it was awkward but just because he wanted to talk. To find out more about these people who might just be his new friends. But everything he could think of was probably a bit too touché. He thought of asking Dan why he didn’t fight back against cat, or ask him if the restraints made it so he couldn’t, but he held off on that. He’d already pushed his luck with Dan for the day, and he could sense the boy was just tired and wanted a break. 

So, he switched into what he felt was a much safer (yet probably lamer) topic. “What do you guys think about these phone things they give us? Personally I think it’s sort of crap. I mean, I can’t even text or call my family. On top of that almost every actually fun game on it requires you to actually know your power! Which, is obviously a bit of a problem for me.” He thought he heard dan snort off to the side, but he couldn’t quite tell since the boys head was turned away. He watched as Louise threw her arms exasperatedly in the air with a groan. “Oh my lord those things are terrible! I already completed like a good 75% of the games on there, and the rest are just boring after like 5 minutes. You’re better off just picking out a book from the library at that point.” Phil laughed at that, despite knowing it was probably true. “Hey at least you were able to actually complete them! I can only play like 1 or 2 of the good ones and this one that I started playing is really weird.” He pulled out the small hand held device and flicked it on, scrolling to the few apps he’s kept there and selecting one that read ‘To the Castle’. He felt dan lean over his shoulder and looked back to see his brows knit in confusion. “I thought you said you couldn’t play the ones that needed you to have a power?” To which Phil, equally as confused responds “Uh, yah. But this one didn’t ask me for my power. It just let me start playing.” To which dan shook his head, pure confusion on his face. “But that ones designed to use your power in game. It’s supposed to take your character through obstacles that you clear using your power. The game can read your mind basically, so it can see what power you have and it will use it to run you through different puzzles completely unique to your chosen power. Aka if you don’t have said power, there’s literally no way you can make it to the end.” Phil paused, staring at the games menu screen where there’s a drop down menu with the words ‘Continue game?’ Right next to a save file with the level ‘The wolves feast’ written as the title. He scrunched up his face in a frown, still partly confused. “But- but I’m only on the second level! Your saying I won’t be able to finish it until I figure out my power?” Dan nodded, and Phil groaned in frustration, because of course the one interesting game would be yet another he couldn’t play. Dan bites on his lip considerately, muttering something under his breath. His eyes flicked back up to Phil’s and then he’s smirking again. “I mean you might as well just stop playing now honestly.” Which causes Phil to slap dans arm in mock offense, yelping a “oh shut up!” Which has dan genuinely laughing, revealing a hidden dimple that had Phil’s stomach filling with butterflies because omg that’s so cute. Luckily though his wandering thoughts were interrupted when he felt Louise’s hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry too much about it Phil, you really aren’t missing out on all that much.” She leaned in a bit closer, lowering her voice to a mock whisper. “We have a couple classic board games and old video games stashed back at the abandoned staff house anyways so you shouldn’t get too bored around us-“ And he jumped when dan (in a very high pitched voice) cut Louise off with “Lou! You can’t just- just tell him about the staff house!! We never even told Cat about the staff house and we’ve known her for weeks! We met him today.” Dan was making wild gestures with his arms, but Louise was only smiling innocently. “Dan honey, calm down. Don’t you remember the reason why we never told Cat? Well, so far Phil’s been lovely and since he’s new I’m sure we can make some extra room in the group for him. Besides, if he’s going to hang out with us he has to find out at some point.” Dan pouts but let’s out a defeated sigh, muttering “Fine, but if something goes wrong I’m blaming you.” Phil however was brimming with excitement at the thought of breaking some small rules in favor of sneaking off and having fun with a new group of people. Chris had said something about being careful about sneaking around the school, but these guys seemed pretty chill about it so it probably wouldn’t be too big of a deal. 

Eventually, at last, they reached the dorms. Mid way down the path to building B Phil decided to give the jacket back to dan. He wouldn’t need it inside and for some reason he felt that it would have been weird to walk in wearing dans coat. 

As soon as they entered the building, dan was tackled from all sides as everyone bombarded him with questions. “Dan! Your back!” “You okay dude?” “Did it leave a scar?” “Thank god you’re ok!” Were all words floating around and Phil had trouble pinpointing who was saying them. Dan looked rather bashful and scratched at the gauze on his neck, obviously not adept at being fawned over. “I’m fine, really guys.” He insisted, trying to make his way to the wall so he could lean himself against it. “Thanks for the concern though. Much appreciated.” His eyes met Phil’s briefly and Phil could detect the words ‘help pls’ in them. He chuckled and stepped forward, clearing a bit of space between dan and the others. “Alright guys, give him some room. The nurse said that the wound wouldn’t affect anything important and he was able to leave today.” 

“Thank god. I was beginning to think those claws had done some real damage when I saw you driving off in the ambulance.” Pj stepped forward, holding what Phil recognized as an ice pack in his hand. Dan smirked, shrugging his shoulders casually. Phil could still see the tiredness in Dans eyes, and knew he probably wouldn’t be able to stay awake for much longer. “You should have more faith in me PJ. You know I wouldn’t have let er’ kill me.” He mused, though Phil wondered if that was true. Dan looked pretty far gone before Cat was pried away. “Oh, and the doctors told me that I won’t have to attend my power classes for the next week.” His eyes lit up in a way that made the statement seem more important. 

“Dude really? That’s awesome!” PJ said, eyes alight with genuine happiness and Louise also stepped up to say “Thank the lord, you really needed a break.” And that had Phil wondering what class dan was a part of. If everyone was this happy about him getting a break it must be a pretty tough class, which, Phil didn’t doubt considering dans power. Perhaps it was even… 

No. Dan didn’t fit the whole ‘Destructive class’ persona he’d seen from the others. Sure dan was a bit Standoffish at the beginning, but since then Phil hadn’t thought dan was particularly rude. Not enough to find any genuine hate toward him anyways. Although, he did wonder what had put dan in such a bad mood earlier this morning at the Starbucks. 

“Well, I’m going to turn in for the night. It’s been a long ass day and my head still hurts.” Pj mused, using a hand to ruffle his hair before pressing the ice pack to the back of his neck. He hears a murmur of agreement from the rest of the group, and soon enough they were all saying their goodbyes and taking their leave. The sun seemed to be setting now, and it was bathing the entire room in a golden glow. 

Phil watched as Matt, Steph, Tom, and Tyler all began to file out of the building, leaving Dan, PJ, And Louise. Phil took a moment to stare in surprise, blinking quickly. “Wait- do all three of you live here?” PJ and Louise laugh, and Louise says that yes indeed, they do. Phil can’t help the excitement he feels at the prospect of sharing the dorm building with them, since he knows that could only lead to a close friendship. And, to be honest, Phil was kind of desperate for friends at the moment. He sort of already figured Pj lived here because of their first interaction, but he had no idea Louise or Dan did as well. 

“Well, I’m tired as fuck. I think I’m going to go grab a power stone from the main hall. I’ll need it if im going to be getting any sleep.” Dan rose from his position against the wall and was taking to shrugging back on his jacket. Phil looked at him confused, never having heard of whatever the hell a ‘Power Stone” is. “Grab a what?” 

Dan gave Phil a look, then groaned and rubbed his hand across his face. Begrudgingly, he begins to explain. “A power stone is basically a magic rock that can take in the energy stored in your restraints and then give it back to you throughout the day. The school came up with it cause a lot of kids were complaining about being too tired after using large amounts of their power throughout the day. So, they found a way to take the energy that’s captured in your restraints and put it into a stone. Mostly to stop kids from complaining. It’s a big process and I’m almost too tired to be bothered but honestly I know if I don’t take it tomorrow's gonna be hell.” 

As dan spoke, Phil grew more and more intrigued. How complex was this system? He barely even knew much about restraints, let alone whatever complexity power stones had to them.

Seeing Phil’s wonderous expression dan rolled his eyes and turned toward the front doors. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn more about it in class.” With that, he placed his hands over the gauze on his neck and ripped it off in one fluid motion. Phil winces as he sees the still very visible bruising along his neck, (Along with that strange circular implant he’d noticed before), but Dan doesn’t seem to give it a second thought as he pushes through the doors and leaves. 

Phil doesn’t really think taking the gauze off this early was a good idea, but he knows he wouldn’t be able to convince dan otherwise. Instead, he just turns back to Louise and Pj, who seem equally as tired as he feels. “Well, with that I think I’m turning in for the night. G’night lovely’s, have sweet dreams.” Louise wraps her arms around Phil, and he returns the short hug before she’s stepping away and heading off to the mysterious sliding wall door on the bottom floor. “Night Lou!” He hears Pj shout, just before he turns to look at Phil expectantly and the pair head off toward the wall lift. 

“By the way, sorry for being weird yesterday. I’m always like that around newcomers.” Pj scratched the back of his neck, and Phil seemed to realize that just like dan Pj was growing exceptionally tired. The bright green flecks Phil had seen in Pj’s eyes earlier had faded, and the jewel on Pj’s bracelet was glowing brightly. “It’s alright.” He responded easily, shrugging it off. 

Without any more words spoken between them, the mysterious door lifted and the pair walked down the hall before Pj stopped at room 11. “Goodnight Phil. It was good meeting you, thanks for putting up with our craziness.” Pj gave him a genuine smile, which Phil returned happily. “You too. Thanks for putting up with my awkwardness.” They laughed, and Pj gave a small wave before disappearing behind his dorm door. 

Phil made the journey down the hall to his room and basically collapsed onto his bed in relief. Today had been rather insane, and he’d definitely gotten his fill of socializing. He was definitely more intrigued than ever after learning all about the restraints and power stones and people- it was all too much to take in within a day. He definitely didn’t feel as lonely as he had laying in his bed last night. 

With thoughts of his new discoveries and friends floating around in his mind, it wasn’t long before he was drifting off to sleep. 

***  
A long corridor stretched before him, lined with podiums. On top of each podium sat a glowing orb, each a different color. The room seemed to move around him, as if he was floating through it. He passed through walls, before finding himself in a faintly lit hallway. A man in a black and white suit stood at the end of the hallway, talking with another man who was wearing a white coat and circular goggles. 

Phil felt tension in the air, despite nothing externally bad happening. The white coated man then disappeared in the room behind him, coming out not a moment later with a box. Amber light was shining out between the cracks in the box, and the suited man took it with a tip of his hat before turning and walking off.

Again, the rooms shifted. Suddenly, he was watching as the suited man carried the box to a small room. This room had what looked like a metal chute at one end. The man opened the metal door to the chute, and soon a clang was heard and the man was taking the empty box and stuffing it in the trash. 

The next thing Phil knew he was staring at a warehouse. He was standing on a raised metal platform, overlooking the area below. Rows and rows of what looked like furnaces lined the walls to his right. Within them sat those same colorful orbs. Hundreds of them. All different colors sitting carefully in each furnace bed. 

To his left, conveyor belts. Most of them were turned off. Suddenly, an alarm went off, and a man in a white coat entered the warehouse. They walked over to one of the conveyor belts, and not soon after it croaked to life, revealing a glowing amber orb. The insides of the glass looking sphere swirled with fire. The man picked the orb up, examining it for a long moment before taking it to one of the many furnaces and dumping it with the other similar looking amber orbs. 

With a click and a bang, the doors to the furnace are shut. The warehouse plunges itself into darkness, and Phil’s left with the image of the single glowing amber orb. Something about it’s glow was so...familiar. 

***

Phil gasped awake for the second time that week. He didn’t sit up however, instead he stared at his ceiling with wide panicked eyes. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and he had to take a moment to realize it was a dream. There was less panic then his previous dream, but what it lacked in sheer terror it made up for in dread and eeriness. 

What the hell? Why all the sudden was he getting these nightmares? Was this like, a sign or something? That he shouldn’t be here? He rarely had nightmares back at home. 

Huffing in frustration, he rolled onto his side and turned on his lamp, which quickly covered the room in a golden glow. Rubbing his face, he felt tiredness drag at his limbs, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again for a while. It was always like that for him, he could never get to sleep again right after a nightmare. He was too paranoid. 

He checked the time on his phone; 2am. Great. He had actual class tomorrow, starting at 7:30. Aka he’d have to wake up at six. 

Sighing, he decided to give in and distract himself and calm his heart by playing the castle game. 

He switched off his light so the screen was brighter, before selecting the ‘To the Castle’ app. The screen illuminated in a dramatic flash, and a bright menu dropped from above. He saw the familiar ‘Continue game?’ Selection floating in a bubble, and tapped it. 

Dan might have told him he wouldn’t be able to play without knowing his power, but that doesn’t mean Phil wasn’t going to try. Besides, what does dan know? 

Okay, well. He probably knows a lot, but that’s not the point!

The level finally started up, and a little chorus of drums rang in the background. ‘Level 2’ Showed up on the screen, before the words slowly melted and turned red, much like blood. Ah, so this would be a creepy level. Terrific. 

As his surroundings became known, he realized his current predicament. He was on a lone path, in the middle of a dark forest with the night sky above. The branches above him swayed and creaked in the wind, and he could hear the wind whistling through the trees around him. It all felt very eerie, and tense, and Phil finds himself almost having to put the game down. He’s already been terrified by one nightmare tonight, he really doesn’t need another. 

But despite himself, his curiosity takes over and he shamelessly moves forward along the dark path. Then suddenly, things changed. 

The edges of the screen flashed white and foggy, blurry as though it were some type of cutscene or flashback. The camera pans back and forth along the treeline, and glowing yellow eyes stare back at him from within the gaps. Then, the camera points somewhere just off the main path, where there’s a gap between the trees and shadows beyond. 

Then the camera is zooming in, zooming and zooming through the trees until finally it breaks out of the trees and pans up to gaze at a wide clearing. In the center of the clearing there’s a huge tree, with low hanging sturdy branches. An escape route, possibly? 

The camera zooms back out all at once and the edges of the screen blink back to their normal black shadows. Phil is back in the game again, able to control his character. The first thing he does of course is look around, and although he doesn’t see the yellow eyes, he could hear a low guttural growling coming from within the forest. Without a second thought, he bolts toward the gap in the trees he was hinted at, now able to feel the hot breath of whatever was chasing him on his heels. 

He just hopes he was reading that right, and the game was telling him how he could save himself! Why would he game show him something that wasn’t true after all? 

Low and behold, the trees finally started to thin out and he can see the huge leafless trunk rising in the distance. Picking up speed, he knew the creatures were right on his tail. He caught flashes of movement in the shadows around him, and heard the panting and growls coming from the darkness. 

At last he reaches the clearing, and makes a B-line for the tree. He wills his character to make a leap of faith, and sees as a hand grasps one of the low hanging branches. Moving quickly, he planted his feet against the tree and scrambled onto the branch, lifting himself as far off the ground as possible. Not stopping for a moment to look back, Phil kept climbing and climbing until he knew he was high up enough that the creatures would not touch him. 

Looking down, he realized the creatures were like massive black wolves. Their eyes glowed, and their teeth were glinting in the light of the full moon. 

They circled the tree, growling as if frustrated they couldn’t catch their prey. He just hangs there, clutching the trunk tightly as he waits for the wolves to leave. Luckily, as the sun begins to rise over the far hill, the light it carries with it seems to drive the wolves back into the shadows. Now that Phil had a higher vantage point, he could see the silhouette of the Castle on the horizon. Not far now. 

The screen suddenly fades to black, and the words “Level complete” illuminate on the black canvas. He smiled victoriously, knowing he’ll just have to brag to Dan later about this. 

Slightly more at ease now then he’d been when he had first woken, he layed back down and closed his eyes, letting the darkness creep in. He knows I’m just a couple hours he’ll have to be getting up and going to class, but just for now he could enjoy the sweet release of sleep. 

At last sleep decided to be good to him, and instead of mystery orbs or tornados of Fire, he was met with the view of a sunset and a castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it’s been a while since the last post, but this ones nearly 12,000 words so I hope that makes up for it! 
> 
> I just wanted to say that this is not how I view Cat in real life. I don’t watch cats videos, I just needed a person to fill in the roll. A lot of the background characters will have different personalities to what they normally have, but if I can help it I’ll try to make them as accurate as possible. 
> 
> Anyways, the third chapter should be coming out soon enough! I may start writing shorter chapters in order to get them out quicker, but I guess we’ll see what happens. :) 
> 
> Also what are your opinions about Phil’s mystery power? The dreams are also a bit strange, wouldn’t you say? ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I just wanted to say to keep in mind that I actually don’t watch a lot of these people (besides dan and Phil of course, and a bit of matt), so if their personalities (beside cat, who you’ll meet later) are super off feel free to correct me. Also if you have any questions feel free to ask! I’m still a learning writer but this will be great practice for me to see if I can succeed at writing a full length story.


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